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Congress: 'Let 'Em In'

The New York Times reports that “20 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including its chairwoman, are asking the House to severely restrict the powers of an independent ethics office that has spent much of its first full year investigating accusations of wrongdoing among black caucus members. A resolution introduced late last week by Representative Marcia L. Fudge, Democrat of Ohio, and co-sponsored by 19 other black caucus members, would prohibit the release of most investigative reports prepared by the Office of Congressional Ethics. It would also prevent the office from initiating its own inquiries, unless a sworn complaint was filed by an individual with personal knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing.”

The Hill on the politics of energy legislation in the wake of the BP oil spill: “[Senior Democratic aides] want to make the energy debate a referendum on big oil companies and the nation’s dependence on oil... Centrist Democrats disagree, saying that drawing a sharp contrast with Republicans will only make the debate more partisan and alienate the potential GOP allies needed to pass comprehensive reform.”